NCAA Tournament: Michigan State free throw drops Tennessee

The ball thudding away after J.P. Prince's desperation heave fell short, several Tennessee players collapsed in front of the bench, pressing their foreheads against the hardwood.

Paul Sancya/The Associated PressMichigan State players celebrate after their 70-69 win over Tennessee in the NCAA Midwest Regional final Sunday in St. Louis. Looking on at right is Tennessee's Bobby Maze. Scotty Hopson snatched off his opulently orange headband and flinged it to the floor in disgust. Coach Bruce Pearl stared blankly for a moment before going to congratulate the victors.

The Vols came up short. One second. One free throw. One step short.

To come this far, to get this close was heartbreaking.

Agonizingly close to its first Final Four, Tennessee left NCAA Tournament decidedly dejected after losing 70-69 to Michigan State in the Midwest Regional final Sunday.

"This is painful, this is disappointing," Pearl said. "This is not what we came here to do."

The final margin was Raymar Morgan's free throw with 1.8 seconds left.

There were so many opportunities.

The sixth-seeded Vols (28-9) couldn't stop Michigan State's suddenly-hot-shooting guard Durrell Summers, who hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Hopson couldn't hit a second free throw with 11 seconds left, one that would have put Tennessee up one and the Spartans into a more desperate mode.

Tennessee couldn't come up with the ball after Hopson's miss, allowing Michigan State's 5-foot-11 point guard Korie Lucious to sneak in and grab the rebound. The Vols couldn't keep Morgan out of the lane, forcing Prince to foul him. And Prince couldn't get the handle on what could have been the greatest finish in an NCAA Tournament filled with them.

To come this close makes it hurt even more.

"This will sting for a while, most definitely," said Prince, who had 12 points and five assists in his final game in orange and white.

The wrenching finish ended a season unlike any other in Tennessee's history.

The low point came on New Year's Day, when a traffic stop led to the discovery of a gun and marijuana in a car carrying four Vols.

Pearl kicked leading scorer Tyler Smith off the team after learning the illegally altered guns found in the car belonged to the senior. He also suspended Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins for their involvement; Williams later pleaded guilty to drug possession, Tatum pleaded guilty to speeding and all charges were dropped against Goins.

Less than two weeks later, the Vols stunned then-No. 1 Kansas with six scholarship players and a handful of walk-ons. Later, they beat Kentucky, another NCAA title favorite.

Tennessee was routed by the Wildcats in the SEC tournament, but made an unprecedented run in the NCAAs, escaping against San Diego State in the first round, beating Ohio in the second and then wearing down Ohio State in the Midwest semifinals.

That set up Sunday's showdown against a Michigan State team equally talented to the athletic Vols. And they put on quite a show, trading 3-pointers, flying dunks and scoring bursts throughout the day.

Tennessee ranked 239th in the nation on 3-pointers (31 percent), but opened the game by making six straight and finished 7 of 16 overall. The Vols also shot 51 percent from the floor, kept Michigan State from dominating the boards and had four players score in double figures.

They just couldn't close it out, allowing Lucious to race up the floor, Morgan to get into the lane, their season to drift away.

"We get back defensively, we get matched up, we go to overtime," Pearl said. "And we like our chances in OT."

They never got the chance and the sting will linger.

The imprint on the program will likely last much longer, though.

The school known for its women's team now has two power programs. While the men aren't quite on the same footing — Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols have won eight national titles, after all — they are at least a few steps closer.

Tennessee finished the season with the second-most wins in school history — the 2007-08 team had 31 — and reached its fifth straight NCAA tournament under Pearl, the longest active streak in the SEC. The Vols have established tradition, have an immensely loyal fan base — the Edwards Jones Dome seemed a shade brighter with all that orange — and have developed a solid talent base with more recruits coming.

And get this: they outlasted the women. While the men were going where no other Tennessee team had gone before, Summitt's team went out in the round of 16.